


Icebreaker

by hoshi_ni_natte



Category: Free!
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:22:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24383497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hoshi_ni_natte/pseuds/hoshi_ni_natte
Summary: Kisumi flashes them his widest grin. “Who do you guys think is the cutest in our friend group?”He’s met with underwhelming unenthusiasm, Ikuya rolling his eyes with an “Of course it’d be something like that…” and Asahi shaking his head with a “We ain’t gonna say it’syou,Kisumi.”
Relationships: Nanase Haruka & Shigino Kisumi, Nanase Haruka/Shigino Kisumi
Comments: 5
Kudos: 46





	Icebreaker

**Author's Note:**

> in my head everyone's in love with haru.  
> also in my head harukisu is my favorite kisumi ship. no one cares but that's what this is.  
> happy fucking birthday kisumi

_“Ahh,_ doesn’t this sort of feel like middle school all over again~?” Kisumi sings as he bursts through the door, promptly forgetting to instead give a proper greeting upon his (tardy) arrival to the conference room like he should. “It’s always so fun meeting up with you guys!”

“We’re not here to have _fun,”_ Ikuya snaps, without even looking up.

“Hurry up and sit down,” Asahi adds, in a similar snippy manner.

“What’s with this atmosphere??” Kisumi complains, remaining by the doorway and staring at his peers. Everyone’s heads are buried in their respective readings, no excitement for nor interest in his arrival whatsoever. It’s not like he was expecting to be praised for securing them a proper study venue through contacts in the Hidaka admin because exam hell makes it so everywhere is constantly booked, but even though Asahi and Ikuya shooting him down isn’t unusual, even _Makoto_ —ever the most loving Makoto— didn’t spare him a glance.

He can more or less understand their stress, college tests being a whole other level and whatnot… In fact, he’s heard enough cautionary tales from his circle senpais to last him his whole university lifetime. But he eyes his middle school friends intently, Ikuya and Asahi, and Makoto whom he sorely wishes would at least sweetly say his name especially given that the only one who’d protest his presence at the onset isn’t even here at the moment.

That aside, everyone’s so high-strung, and it’s way too far from _easygoing_ like the lot of them from a place like Iwatobi ought to be even if they _are_ in Tokyo. And, this is just no way to live. Not to Kisumi.

Deeming all of this unacceptable, he tosses his things onto the closest vacant spot, straightening and strengthening his stance and raising his arms. Stretching them as far as they would go, he then brings his hands together in a loud, powerful clap to command their attention.

Makoto jumps in his seat in surprise at the sound, and at the fact that Kisumi’s appeared so suddenly. He’d been so focused on his reviewiers that he didn’t even notice he’d come in, and despite being able to console himself over the fact that Kisumi _thankfully_ isn’t some ghost, the heart attack still makes him drop his highlighter and clutch at his chest.

Asahi and Ikuya, on the other hand, don’t move a centimeter from their positions, electing to only raise their gaze to glare at Kisumi for all the noise he’s making.

 _Like middle school all over again,_ Kisumi muses. He feels the faint, _conditional_ affection through Makoto’s kind reluctance and Asahi and Ikuya’s, uh, shared braincell for bloodlust towards him specifically; he’s not worried because he’s practiced in the art of dealing with this. Enjoying that he has their attention regardless, he nods to himself. “You guys are all so tense! Relax for two minutes. Let’s do an icebreaker.”

“I don’t wanna hear that from the guy who came an entire hour late,” Ikuya mumbles, finally moving to lean back on his chair.

Meanwhile, Asahi’s gotten up to point at Kisumi accusingly. “Was sure you ditched us because you suddenly found some other circle to hang out with or shit!”

“No way…!” Kisumi whines, hands to himself in his defense. “I texted Haru that I was waiting for a couple senpais to borrow different gen ed notes from and I’d come as soon as I can! You guys are my precious friends so I’ll still lend them to you, but you wound me, Ikuya, Asahi…”

“We appreciate it, Kisumi,” Makoto speaks up after he’s calmed down, and the sheepishness of his voice is instantaneously healing. “But if it’s icebreakers, we already talked some when everyone got here earlier.”

“Ehh…” Kisumi tilts his head at that, unconvinced. “Knowing you guys you probably just chatted about swimming again…” He waves his hands jokingly when he feels Ikuya and Asahi glare at him again. “Not that that’s bad, it’s not boring or anything! I just think it’d be nice to talk about other stuff every once in a while, you know?”

There’s an exact five seconds of everyone exchanging looks with each other before Asahi gives in, sitting back down and crossing his arms. “Fine, I’ll bite. What’s your idea?”

“Asahi…!” Touched, Kisumi clasps his fingers theatrically. “I’m _so_ glad you asked.” Then he unclasps his fingers to raise an index thoughtfully. “From now on, every time we meet up, let’s do a Hot Seat Question of the Day!”

“You made that up just now,” Ikuya mutters with an eyebrow raised high in doubt, “It’ll never catch on…” But for the same reason Asahi took the bait, Ikuya doesn’t try to stop him anymore. The sooner they entertain Kisumi the sooner they’ll all be done with it, because the guy never does quit. “So? What’s today’s question?”

Kisumi flashes them his widest grin. “Who do you guys think is the cutest in our friend group?”

He’s met with underwhelming unenthusiasm, Ikuya rolling his eyes with an “Of course it’d be something like that…” and Asahi shaking his head with a “We ain’t gonna say it’s _you,_ Kisumi.”

 _“_ _Hey!!”_ Kisumi's hands form into fists and he swings them downward childishly at their reaction. “Why’d you assume I’m asking for that??”

After a while, Ikuya murmurs, “It’s obviously Haru.”

Asahi agrees in an instant, “Definitely Haru."

Makoto, who's been acting his usual pacifist self this entire time, suddenly _happily_ chimes in: “No competition, it’s Haru-chan.”

“What—” Kisumi stomps a foot impatiently, offended by the idea that they seriously thought he had ulterior motives as opposed to having asked an actual, honest-to-god, albeit spicy, innocent question. And by the idea that he isn’t aware: “I _know_ that!! If we’re talking about Haru, he’s friggin’ _gorgeous!!”_

“Then why even ask??” Ikuya and Asahi snarl. Then collectively deciding that that’s that, everyone goes back to working and completely ignoring Kisumi. Defeated, Kisumi drags himself to a chair and starts getting his stuff out from his bag, senpais’ notebooks and all.

Though completely unlike Kisumi’s circumstance, when the door opens again everyone looks up to find Haru wiping his hands with a towel. “Heard some ruckus from outside,” he mumbles, “either this conference room isn’t actually soundproof or you guys are just extra noisy…”

“Well, noise is to be expected because Kisumi got here while you were out,” Ikuya explains blandly.

“He did,” Haru observes, only glancing in his direction for a split second before turning and noticing that he and Asahi seem supremely annoyed. “What’s going on?”

“He was trying to do some weird icebreaker,” Asahi summarizes halfheartedly, “it was stupid as hell.”

“That’s nothing new with Kisumi,” Haru deadpans, walking back to his seat next to Makoto. He settles without a care. “Oh right, he texted a while ago that he’d be late but I forgot to say.”

Kisumi’s been unable to get a word in since he sat down, but even if he were able to, he wouldn’t have anything to say. He’s fallen silent because here he was standing up for the honor of Haru’s gorgeousness, simply starting up the discussion it deserved— but even Haru isn’t having it. Not to mention, he’s just insulted him and ignored him in the same breath. Kisumi pouts, slumping forward into his arms dramatically on the meeting table. “That hurts, Haru, you’re cruel…”

Haru waits for Kisumi to lift his head, and when he meets his eyes, the corners of his lips twitch upwards. Then, he mouths: _“You like it.”_

“—Did anyone else see that?!” Kisumi shoots up off his seat, frantically looking to his friends for affirmation. He gets absolutely none with everyone but Haru having their heads buried in their readings again, and when he looks back at him he’s acting like he’s _so_ busy nonchalantly rearranging his pens. Kisumi can’t believe it.

“By the way,” Haru casually starts, still busy with his pencil case, “What was the icebreaker?”

“Oh, that…” Makoto takes his glasses off and scratches his temple inattentively. “Kisumi asked some hot seat question thing… ‘Who’s the cutest in our friend group’ or whatever.”

“’The cutest in our friend group,’ huh.” Haru tests the question on his tongue, and locks his answer in, in his sight: he catches Kisumi’s gaze and holds it for a definite moment. _“I see.”_ Then he shrugs and gets to work.

“Haru—!” Kisumi falls back onto his chair, weak in the knees. The ice has definitely broken now, melted, and though Kisumi’s glad his friends have lightened up, he feels thoroughly oppressed by the inability to tell how much of how he and Haru feel about each other has changed since middle school— and how much of it hasn’t changed at all. Dazed, Kisumi sighs, “Did Haru just flirt with me…?”

Blissfully unaware of the way Haru smirks to himself in satisfaction at that, Makoto laughs it off. But Ikuya and Asahi don’t let Kisumi off without spitting indignantly, “You _wish!”_

**Author's Note:**

> oh right. in my head everyone's in love with kisumi too.  
> letting myself have free! fic ideas is the worst thing i've ever done to myself.  
> let me know what you think if you wanna! thanks for reading!!!!!!!!!!


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